The song capped a school assembly at Woodland on Wednesday, when students gave money they raised for a peace pole to Lara Smith, principal of Salish Ponds Elementary School, where Miranda went to school.

During the song, students passed out tissues to the adults blinking back tears, including Superintendent Linda Florence.

"It gives us hope that something like that will never happen again," Florence said. "Schools, on a regular basis, are all about academics. ... This really reminds us we have to be all about relationships too."

The medical examiner ruled Miranda's death on Nov. 24 a homicide. Chandra Rose, 34, girlfriend of Miranda's father, faces charges of criminal mistreatment, coercion and reckless endangerment in connection with the death. She also faces criminal mistreatment charges related to an earlier incident, according to court records.

"Miranda died because people couldn't figure things out without violence," said Celeste Dryer, the Woodland teacher whose class raised the money.

In the wake of the deadly shootings in Portland and Connecticut that closely followed the girl's drowning, the peace pole strikes a chord, Dryer said. "It's the same message: Solve things peacefully."

As their school mourned, Salish Ponds administrators decided to dedicate a peace pole to Miranda.

Woodland students stepped in to raise the money with a Pennies for Peace drive. Over five days, students "collected pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, even $20 bills, and they quickly added up," a student explained at the assembly.

On Wednesday students presented a $265 check to Principal Smith.

"On behalf of Salish Ponds Elementary School, thank you, thank you, thank you," Smith said. "The fact that you thought about us during a really hard time really means a lot. You are very special students."